Free The Right Note (BWWM Interracial Romance) by Naima DaCosta

hope you have a something new to play for me."
    Now it was Hayley’s turn to smile mysteriously, "oh yes, I most certainly do.”
    Hayley turned towards his old upright piano.
    "Wrong way," Jack said, taking her arm and leading her back towards the brand new thick wooden door.
    "Right this way."
    The door led to a short and narrow hallway with another double door at the end her eyebrows went up.
    "So many doors? why, security?"
    Jack shook his head, "they don't have locks, it's just for soundproofing."
    Hayley wondered if he had built a recording studio in there. It seemed unlikely he never showed any interest in making records he preferred to just focus on writing and arranging. What he couldn't play on a piano or guitar he could easily create on his computer he preferred to not work with musicians directly. Hayley had heard him say more than once that musicians were overtrained peons who couldn't see the forest for the trees when it came to songs.
    Jack opened up the double doors for her and said "after you." She walked in the room as he turned on the lights... there was a soft glow from many tiny bulbs that dotted the ceiling like miniature stars. There was a candelabra already lit in one corner bathing the purple velvet curtains which covered the rear walls in a gently flickering dance of richly shimmering color.
    From the ceiling slightly to one side of the room a single soft spotlight shone down on a beautiful white baby grand piano. Hayley inhaled the scene with her eyes. The room was so lovely- so unlike his usual style of no nonsense, function first decor. She noticed other things: microphones already set up at the piano a small mixing desk next to a table with a mac based recording setup built into it.
    One half of the table had a stunning antique lamp made of crystal next to a writing area with score paper, pens and carbons. it even smelled lovely.. no stale cigarette stink but instead a heady aroma made up of orange peel and cinnamon. Hayley was taken completely aback, it seemed so lavish- so extravagant, so beautifully thought out.
    "It's...lovely. It's just so lovely.”
    Jack looked at her critically, "you're wearing beige today it looks nice against your skin but the lighting in here isn't quite right for it." They both laughed at his seemingly random remark.
    "Well, I'm no glamour queen, as you already know," she said, a tad tartly, rolling her eyes.
    "You are a queen tonight, in this room," Jack said this softly.
    Hayley’s eyes narrowed and she said, suspiciously "are you playing with me?"
    Jack said nothing but instead smiled his enigmatic smile. She was getting impatient with this game of his and she longed to play that beautiful piano.
    "Do you mind?" she asked dryly, gesturing towards it. Jack raised his hands in a merry surrender to her annoyance, "by all means!" Hayley sat down as he stood and waited attentively. She had rehearsed this moment in her mind many times but she was unable to believe the perfection of the setting and the feeling of absolute control it gave her to be sitting in the center of this opulent, private stage.
    Hayley began by slowly playing the melody with her right hand only her foot softly stroked the quiet, well oiled pedals. The melody shimmered and sang out of the perfectly tuned strings eerily. It had an odd cris-crossing sway as it moved over inaudible chord changes, spanning across distant keys without the slightest strain or tentativeness. She sang the tune wordlessly, switching to a counter melody on the keys that was even trickier, yet every bit as effortless sounding.
    Jack stood staring. He was actually perplexed, not by the music itself but by a nagging sense of familiarity, an almost deja-vu. Hayley smiled to herself completely relaxed, in love with this instrument, in love with way the room sounded, in love with her own creation. At last she brought in the chords with her left hand as her right hand started to dance around te melody her voice carried so lovingly,